UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIApsasir.upm.edu.my/48678/1/FBMK 2012 36R.pdfpendekatan multidisiplin terhadap analisis bahasa sebagai wacana berfokuskan kepada sifat linguistik dan semiotik

UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

MARYAM JAHEDI

FBMK 2012 36

THE DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF IRAN FROM 1979 TO 2009 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

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THE DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF IRAN FROM 1979

TO 2009 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

By

MARYAM JAHEDI

Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Universiti Putra

Malaysia, in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of

Philosophy

June 2012

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DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this study to my parents, my husband and my two lovely

children, Parham and Parisa.

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Abstract of thesis presented to the Senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia in

fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

THE DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF IRAN FROM 1979

TO 2009 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

By

MARYAM JAHEDI

June 2012

Chair: Associate Professor Mohd. Faiz Sathi. Abdullah, PhD

Faculty: Modern Languages and Communication

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a multidisciplinary approach to the analysis

of language as discourse which focuses on the substantively linguistic and

semiotic nature of social relations of power in contemporary societies. CDA is

used to analyze texts in order to examine what structures, strategies, or other

properties of language play a role in the (re)production of unequal power

relations. Using a combination of analytical tools and approaches advocated by

prominent scholars in the field of CDA, the study investigated the discursive

features of The New York Times (The NYT) news media to highlight how

discursive strategies, structures and related rhetorical devices were deployed to

portray the Iranian nation and to provide insight into how the information

presented in the news texts had ideological implications for geopolitical relations.

The textual data of the study covered the period from the Islamic Revolution of

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Iran in 1979 to the events of 2009. The headlines and leads of news items were

examined: (1) to identify which themes or topics were recurrent in the media

about Iran; (2) to describe the discursive devices, structures, and strategies used in

the corpora of the news about Iran; (3) to analyze linguistic means or forms that

were employed; and (4) to uncover the ideologies about the Iranian nation which

seem to underlie its discursive representation.

The results of The NYT news discourse analysis showed that the predominant

themes about Iran centered on the concepts of violence and threat (to other

nations). Discursive strategies such as referential strategies, predication strategies

and argumentation strategies were employed to promote these ideological themes

on the portrayal of prominent Iranian social actors. The discursive analysis

showed that there was a tendency to polarize between Us (good, righteous,

peaceful, etc.) and Them (evil, violent, etc.) to associate stereotypical negative

traits to the out-group. The study found that such ideological representations of

the Iranian participants were linguistically realized via the dominant processes of

transitivity, thematization, and lexicalization. The net effect of the discourse

themes, strategies and their associated linguistic means of realization in the

stereotypical construction of Iran in The NYT was that of the negative Other, a

nation of people that formed part of George W. Bush’s contentious “axis of evil”–

evil, untrustworthy, violent, and a threat to world peace.

The findings of the study are expected to further illuminate our understanding of

powerful role of dominant international news media discourse in (re)producing

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unequal power relations and the discursive construction of an entire society in

geopolitically negative terms to skew world opinion against it. In this way, the

study contributes not only to the field of critical discourse studies but also to the

related disciplines of journalism, international communication studies, and foreign

affairs, among others.

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Abstrak tesis yang dikemukakan kepada Senat Universiti Putra Malaysia sebagai

memenuhi keperluan untuk ijazah Doktor Falsafah

BINAAN DISKURSIF TERHADAP NEGARA IRAN DARI 1979

KEPADA 2009 DALAM THE NEW YORK TIMES

Oleh

MARYAM JAHEDI

Jun 2012

Pengerusi: Profesor Madya Mohd. Faiz Sathi. Abdullah, PhD

Fakulti: Bahasa Moden dan Komunikasi

Analisis Wacana Kritis (Critical Discourse Analysis, yakni CDA) merupakan

pendekatan multidisiplin terhadap analisis bahasa sebagai wacana berfokuskan

kepada sifat linguistik dan semiotik secara substantif bagi hubungan kuasa sosial

dalam masyarakat kontemporari. CDA digunakan untuk menganalisis teks bagi

meneliti struktur, strategi, atau bahagian lain bahasa yang berperanan

menghasilkan (semula) hubungan kuasa yang tidak seimbang. Dengan

menggunakan kombinasi alat analisis serta pendekatan yang disokong oleh

penyelidik terkemuka dalam bidang CDA, kajian ini telah menyelidik ciri-ciri

diskursif dalam media berita The New York Times (The NYT) untuk menjelaskan

bagaimana strategi diskursif, struktur dan peranti retorik yang berkaitan diatur

bagi menggambarkan negara Iran dan membekalkan pengetahuan mendalam

tentang bagaimana maklumat yang disajikan dalam teks berita mempunyai

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implikasi ideologi untuk hubungan geopolitik.

Data teks kajian ini meliputi tempoh bermulanya Revolusi Islam Iran pada tahun

1979 hingga 2009. Berita utama dan arah tuju berita diteliti: (1) untuk mengenal

pasti tema atau topik yang selalu diulang dalam media tentang Iran; (2) untuk

menggambarkan peranti, struktur, dan strategi diskursif yang digunakan dalam

korpus berita tentang Iran; (3) menganalisis sumber linguistik atau bentuk yang

digunakan, dan (4) untuk mendedahkan ideologi tentang negara Iran yang

mendasari persembahan diskursifnya.

Keputusan analisis wacana berita The NYT menunjukkan bahawa tema-tema

dominan tentang Iran tertumpu pada konsep kekerasan dan ancaman (kepada

negara lain). Strategi diskursif seperti strategi referensial, strategi ramalan dan

strategi argumentasi telah digunakan bagi mempromosi tema-tema ideologi untuk

menggambarkan pelaku sosial Iran yang penting. Analisis diskursif menunjukkan

terdapat kecenderungan untuk menyebabkan berlakunya polarisasi antara Kita

(baik, mulia, aman, dll.) dan Mereka (jahat, ganas, dll.) supaya mengaitkan sifat-

sifat stereotaip negatif pada out-group. Kajian mendapati bahawa persembahan

ideologi seumpama ini terhadap pelaku Iran dicapai secara linguistik melalui

proses-proses utama transitiviti, tematisasi, dan leksikalisasi. Kesan keseluruhan

tema, strategi diskursif, serta sumber realisasi linguistik yang berkaitan dalam

binaan stereotaip tentang Iran dalam The NYT adalah negative Other, yakni

masyarakat negara yang menjadi sebahagian daripada “axis of evil” George W.

Bush yang dipersoalkan—jahat, tidak boleh dipercayai, ganas, dan pengancam

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keamanan dunia.

Hasil kajian ini diharapkan dapat menjelaskan lagi kefahaman kita tentang

peranan penting yang dimainkan oleh wacana media berita antarabangsa dalam

menghasilkan (semula) hubungan kuasa yang tidak seimbang serta binaan

diskursif terhadap sebuah masyarakat keseluruhannya secara geopolitikal dengan

negatif untuk memesongkan pandangan dunia terhadapnya. Dengan cara ini,

kajian ini menyumbang bukan sahaja kepada bidang analisis wacana kritis, tetapi

juga kepada disiplin kewartawanan, kajian komunikasi antarabangsa, serta hal

ehwal luar negara, di antara bidang lain yang berkaitan.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It is a pleasure to thank all the people who made this work possible.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Associate Professor Dr. Mohd.

Faiz Sathi. Abdullah, the chairman of the committee, whose immense knowledge

has been a great value for me, and his detailed comments, suggestions, and

feedback helped and inspired me throughout this project.

I am also grateful to the members of the committee, Associate Professor Dr.

Mardziah Hayati Abdullah and Associate Professor Dr. Wong Bee Eng, for their

valuable insights and comments.

I would also like to thank Mr. Nazmi Bin Muhamad, Language Instructor from

Fakulti Bahasa Moden dan Komunikasi, for translating the English abstract of my

thesis into Bahasa Malaysia.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to my family for their

encouragement and patience. I owe my deepest gratitude to my husband for his

continuous support and motivation. My warm and special thanks also go to my

two children who are the pride and joy of my life.

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I certify that an Examination Committee has met on 1 June 2012 to conduct the

final examination of Maryam Jahedi on her Doctor of Philosophy thesis entitled

“The Discursive Construction of Iran from 1979 to 2009 in The New York Times”

in accordance with Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (Higher Degree) Act 1980 and

Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (Higher Degree) Regulations 1981. The Committee

recommends that the student be awarded the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Members of the Thesis Examination Committee were as follows:

Yap Ngee Thai, PhD

Lecturer

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication

Universiti Putra Malaysia

(Chairman)

Wan Roselezam bt Wan Yahya, PhD

Associate Professor



(Internal Examiner)

Shamala a/p Paramasivam, PhD

Associate Professor



(Internal Examiner)

Anthony Paré, PhD

Professor

Faculty of Education

McGill University

Canada

(External Examiner)

SEOW HENG FONG, PhD Professor and Deputy Dean

School of Graduate Studies


Date:

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This thesis was submitted to the Senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia and has been

accepted as fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

The members of the Supervisory Committee were as follows:

Mohd. Faiz Sathi. Abdullah, PhD

Associate Professor



(Chairman)

Mardziah Hayati Abdullah, PhD

Associate Professor



(Member)

Wong Bee Eng, PhD

Associate Professor



(Member)

BUJANG BIN KIM HUAT, PhD

Professor and Dean

School of Graduate Studies


Date:

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DECLARATION

I declare that the thesis is my original work except for quotations and citations

which have been duly acknowledged. I also declare that it has not been

previously, and is not concurrently, submitted for any other degree at Universiti

Putra Malaysia or at any other institution.

MARYAM JAHEDI

Date: 1 June 2012

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

DEDICATION

ABSTRACT

ABSTRAK

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

APPROVAL

DECLARATION

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ii

iii

vi

ix

x

xii

xvi

xviii

xix

CHAPTER

1

1

4

5

6

7

7

8

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

1.1.1

1.1.2

1.1.3

1.1.4

1.1.5

1.1.6

The Carter Administration: 1979-1981

The Reagan Administration: 1981-1989

The George Bush Senior Administration:

1989-1993

The Clinton Administration: 1993-2001

The George W. Bush Administration:

2001-2009

The Obama Administration: 2009-Present

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.5

Statement of the Problem

Research Questions

Purpose and Scope of the Study

Theoretical Framework

10

14

15

15

1.5.1

1.5.2

1.5.3

Description

Interpretation

Explanation

17

20

21

1.6

1.7

Significance of the Study

Definition of Key Terms

27

29

1.7.1

1.7.2

1.7.3

1.7.4

1.7.5

1.7.6

1.7.7

1.7.8

News Abstract

Text

Discourse

Discursive Construction

Argumentation Forms/Schema

Recontextualization

Intertextuality

Presupposition

29

30

31

33

34

34

35

36

1.8 Overview of the Dissertation 37

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2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 39

2.1 Introduction 39

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

2.8

2.9

2.10

2.11

Analyzing Discourse

Critical Discourse Analysis

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)

Media Discourse

Agenda-setting Theory

News as Genre

Fairclough’s Critical Approach

Wodak’s Discourse-historical Approach

Van Dijk’s Socio-cognitive Approach

Media Representation of the Collective Other:

Islam, Muslims, and Iran

39

45

50

53

56

56

59

64

71

76

3

METHODOLOGY

85

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Research Approach and Design

Sampling and Selection of Corpus

Data Collection Procedures

Data Analysis

85

88

90

91

3.4.1

3.4.2

3.4.3

Description of Linguistic Properties

Interpretation of Discursive Practice

Explanation of Discursive Practice

92

95

96

4

THEMES AND TOPICS IN THE CONSTRUCTION

OF IRAN

99

4.1 Introduction 99

4.2 Thematic Analysis 99

4.2.1

4.2.2

4.2.3

4.2.4

4.2.5

4.2.6

Themes and Topics of News Discourse

from 1979 till 1981


from 1981 till 1989


from 1989 till 1993


from 1993 till 2001


from 2001 till 2009


from 2009 till Present

101

108

111

113

120

127

4.3 Description of Linguistic Properties of the Text 130

4.3.1 Transitivity Analysis of Process Types 130

4.3.2 Thematization 151

4.3.3 Lexicalization 158

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5 DISCURSIVE STRATEGIES OF “OTHERING” OF

IRAN

163

5.1

5.2

Introduction

Interpretation of Discursive Practice

163

163

5.2.1

5.2.2

5.2.3

Referential/Nomination Strategies in

Building In-groups and Out-groups

Predicating the Other

Argumentation Strategies

164

168

170

5.3 Explanation of Discursive Practice 176

5.4 Summative Discussions of the Issues 183

6

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

191

6.1

6.2

6.3

6.4

6.5

6.6

Introduction

Overview of the Study

Summary of the Main Findings

Conclusions

The Position of Analyst’s Subjectivity

Recommendations for Further Research

191

191

192

194

196

198

REFERENCES

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

BIODATA OF STUDENT

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS

200

214

220

361

362

Documents

UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIApsasir.upm.edu.my/48678/1/FBMK 2012 36R.pdfpendekatan multidisiplin terhadap analisis bahasa sebagai wacana berfokuskan kepada sifat linguistik dan semiotik